Flight Duty XLS is getting a bit long in the tooth in the current culture of web-delivered Software-as-a-Service where you can subscribe online to pretty much anything.
The solution XLS provides is great and it performs as described, but it desperately needs to be ported to a web service and a stronger multi-user + operations management reporting model added, with a similar price point. The closest I've come to delivering it on iPad's and other mobile devices is through an expensive remote desktop services solution.
There are other options out there, but so far the pricing has been unrealistic when you compare it to what FltdutyXLS cost, or a custom spreadsheet costs in labour to build. I know of a few recently launched companies providing comprehensive Canadian-centric Aviation ERP software packages that have built-in flight and duty tracking, but I don't think many operators outside of 100+ fleet sizes could really consider their current launch subscription rates viable, which is a shame.
Personally, I use Google drive and a custom spreadsheet.

Pretty sure this is the guy ThreePer is talking about, Jeff Turner. He owns a Cineflex HD with an AStar STC. John B. has dealt with him in the past for Caribou filming out of YZF. Also has a RED EPIC and a selection of glass as part of his travelling kit.
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jeff-turner/1a/309/327

3D cockpits are becoming increasingly common with next generation sims. The fully clickable aspects are a trailer of many of the payware aircraft such as the Dreamfoil 407, 206, x-trident 412, as350, and more. X-plane is designed to be used with a mouse as your virtual hand, and the scroll wheel lets you zoom in on instruments quickly, and right click drag to pan your view around.
To further enhance that, you can run head tracking or external monitor dedicated to instruments.
There is third party software for running dedicated instruments on a dedicated monitor if you want a full immersion sim. A 27" 2560x1440 resolution monitor is plenty immersive in 3d cockpit, or you can hook up a cheap LCD TV at 1080p.
FSX is highly cpu limited, as with Prepare3D (the Lockheed Martin evolution of FSX) and X-Plane as well. I notice a big difference in frame rates going from 3.5ghz to 4.9ghz on the same quad core cpu.
you can get basic graphics with a cheap off the shelf PC, but as soon as you want better visuals you will need a better GPU. XPlane is OpenGL based, FSX and P3D are DirectX (9 and 10 respectively) based. Even a $150 2GB GeForce 950 will be a great add on to an integrated graphics machine.
Also, Xplane runs on all three platforms, Windows, Linux, and Mac. A $1100 MacBook wouldn't have a problem running Xplane out of the box, and you can plug in an external monitor or TV and a joystick and be done.

X-Plane 10 will do all of the above. It is very powerful, and actively developed for helicopter users. Chinook uses X-Plane as the base engine for their certified IFR FTD's as well. It has a real helicopter flight model, with real blade physics. The nav database is up-to-date and current whereas Flight Sim is out of date. Your iPad running ForeFlight can be connected and provide real-time location of your virtual aircraft as if you were actually flying. There is even a human-powered voice ATC service available for practicing IFR phraseology and practical applications from pilotedge.net. The payware BK117 model for X-Plane is good enough to do pretty much any IFR procedure once you update the GPS on the aircraft to a GNS530. I've been using it for practical IFR training myself and would be happy to answer your questions. A decent set of flight controls will set you back about $300, the software is about $100 after the payware aircraft, and the voice ATC service is $20 a month. You will need a computer with a dedicated graphics card, so anticipate about $1000 for the computer to get something IFR-ready, $2000 if you want good VFR photo scenery. (My GeForce GTX 970 4GB video card for VFR was $500 alone). Some shots from X-Plane 10:
Extreme graphics-card punishment:

Just checking in to see if any Canadian schools offer a block time building discount for a CPL on a 44 or 22. I've found a couple in the states ($160/hr for a 44) but it would be advantageous to get the tax benefit and keep my dollars domestic if there was a comparable option. Maybe operators need some non-rev 206 ferries at the end of the season?